Various types of gaming devices have been developed with features designed to captivate and maintain player interest. In general, a gaming device allows a player to play a base game of chance in exchange for a wager. In a pay-to-play (P2P) gaming environment the wager has value, such as wagering currency or credits representing currency. P2P gaming may occur in a physical venue, such as a casino, or on Internet and broadband communication networks where permitted. For novelty or “entertainment only” play the wagers are fictitious credits having no redemption value. Las Vegas style slot machines are an example of P2P gaming devices. Depending on the outcome of the base game, the player may be entitled to an award which is awarded to the player by the gaming machine, normally in the form of currency or game credits. Gaming devices may include flashing displays, lighted displays or sound effects to capture a player's interest in a gaming device.
Many modern gaming devices incorporate one or more secondary, feature or bonus games. These secondary games may be triggered by one or more outcomes from the base game such as, for example, a predefined symbol combination. These types of triggers are sometimes referred to as symbol driven triggers since they are determined by base game symbols. When the symbol combination occurs the gaming device processor enables the display for play of a secondary game. The secondary game may take the form of a number of free plays of the base game, a random selection game where the player selects from displayed offerings to reveal prizes, the play of a secondary game feature to win awards or the like.
In addition to symbol driven triggers there is also known to provide mystery prizes to players over and above any awards from the play of the base game or any base game symbol triggered feature. Often these mystery prizes are progressive prizes which may be arranged in triggered in a variety of manners. For example, in Olive, U.S. Pat. No. 7,108,603 issued Sep. 19, 2006 and titled “Slot Machine Game And System With Improved Jackpot Feature,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, there are disclosed networked gaming devices contributing, from the wagers for the play of the base games, to a progressive jackpot award. Based upon the value of the player's wager W at a gaming device to play a base game and the predetermined turnover for the jackpot, a virtual lottery is conducted (out of sight of the player) with each base game play where the odds of winning relate to the wager W and jackpot turnover amount. When the feature is randomly triggered play of a feature game is played to reveal the progressive award. Torango, U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,460 issued Jul. 15, 2003 and titled “Progressive Wagering System” discloses a similar type of “hidden lottery” type of mystery prize. In Acres et al. U.S. Reissued Pat. RE 38,812, reissued Oct. 4, 2005 and titled “Method And Apparatus For Operating Networked Gaming Devices,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, there is disclosed a system-based mystery jackpot which is triggered when the progressive pool reaches a selected (and unrevealed) amount randomly selected between pool minimum and maximum values.
Progressive jackpots can be symbol-based or mystery-based. For symbol-based progressives, gaming devices are linked on a network and portions of the wagers are allocated to a prize pool. When a player of a linked gaming device makes qualifying wagers (such as a required maximum wager) and obtains the jackpot symbol combination they are awarded the progressive jackpot. Acres et al U.S. Reissued Pat. RE 38,812 referenced above represents an example of a mystery progressive. Progressives such as described above are typically operated on either a local area network (LAN) for a bank or smaller group of gaming devices or a wide area network (WAN) encompassing numerous gaming devices perhaps several thousand for a large casino or even across multiple casino venues in multiple states. The advantage of broadening the progressive network is that the progressive pool can grow faster and to higher levels with greater participation and provide enticement to the players to play.
In networks including gaming devices it has been known to provide community games where players can participate in a community event. In Hornik, et al, U.S. Pub. 2012/0184351A1, filed Jan. 14, 2011 and titled “Systems, Methods, And Devices For Playing Wagering Games With Unlockable Community Game Features,” players play a gaming device to unlock features for themselves and another player.
It has also been known for players to establish an account and to upload and download funds for gaming. Weiss, U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,616 issued May 24, 2005 and titled “Cashless Gaming System; Apparatus And Method, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, discloses the electronic transfer of funds in a gaming environment.
Awards from gaming devices in one respect are dictated by the gaming device static (fixed) pay table which provides a correspondence to a winning outcome and the award. Some awards, including progressive awards, are not static but vary. For example, a feature at a gaming device may provide a secondary game where one or more prizes are awarded and the prizes may fall within a range of award values. Thus awards may be expressed with various number digit sets, e.g. 454 credits, 275 credits.
In certain cultures numbers have cultural significance. For example, in some Western cultures the number “13” is considered unlucky and the number “7” is considered lucky. In certain Asian cultures the number “8” is considered lucky and the number “4” is considered unlucky and associated with death.
It would be useful to, where available, adjust award amounts to avoid unlucky numbers and incorporate lucky numbers. When a player receives an award having the lucky numbers, e.g. “88” credits or “777” credits they will feel lucky (or at least not unlucky). Conversely and award of “44” credits may be deemed to be unlucky to a Chinese player.